Feeding your dog

There is more to feeding a dog than just buying the cheapest bag of food at the grocery store, pouring a heap into a tupperware dish and sliding it across the floor to your chow hound. You must carefully consider what food to buy, what kind of dish, where to feed the dog, how often, how much and when. There are so many choices that some owners are often perplexed and end up buying what they have seen advertised on TV just because they don't know what to look for or where to start when purchasing their dog's food.

Food
There are several different forms of dog food; dry, canned/wet, semi-moist, dehydrated, raw and homemade diets. All have pros and cons and all range in quality within their own category.

Dry
Most owners opt for dry food. It is the most convenient and can be purchased pretty much anywhere. When looking for a high quality dry food I advise owners to read the ingredients label. If the label reads something like, "Chicken meal, turkey meal, pearled barley, oatmeal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), carrot, apples, blueberries, salmon oil, lactobaccilis acidophilis, vitamins, minerals etc," then that is a good food. If the label reads, "Whole grain ground corn, wheat middlings, chicken by-product meal, animal fat, beet pulp, whole grain sorghum, brewers rice, chicken, vitamins, minerals etc," then that is NOT a good food.

Meal means the chicken or protein without the bones, blood, water weight etc. The meat is cooked and processed, thus meaning that if the food starts with a meal, there is a lot of meat in the food.

There is a debate if dogs are carnivores or omnivores, however most agree that dogs need more meat in their diet than grains, so if the food is primarily grains, it isn't a good food for your dog. Unlike humans, dogs don't get their energy from carbohydrates. Dogs get energy from fat sources and dogs need protein to build and sustain muscle. Things like brewers rice and wheat middlings are by-products of human food industries and are basically things that we don't want in our food and would throw in the dumpster.

Always look for a designated fat source. Simply listing "animal fat" is a sign that the company uses whatever fat is available for the lowest price at the time. Fats are important to a dog's diet and fats also contribute to the flavor, smell and color of the food. I have had many bags of Nutro brand food returned while at work because it "looked different" than the last batch and had to explain to the owner that they can technically get a wide variety of looks because Nutro doesn't designate their fat source. Most people change foods after learning that.

I like to only buy foods with probiotics in it. Lactobacillis acidophillus, among others, is a probiotic. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that reside in the dog's gut already. Adding more simply aids in digestion and has been found to aid in immunity as well. I find that when I use a food that doesn't have probios, that my dogs have bowel movements much more often and aren't digesting all of their food.

Veggies and fruits in dog foods are by no means necessary, but have been found to be great antioxidants that fight free radicals and aid in overall better health of the dog.

Lex is not pleased with his kibble!

Canned/wet
It used to be thought that an animal couldn't be sustained on a canned diet. With such quality canned diets now, that is false. In fact, the main feline only veterinary clinic in Oregon, recommended a wet ONLY diet for cats. The downside with feeding a dog wet is that it can get very expensive fast. For example, a bag of Merrick dog food (15 lbs) is approximately $28. Feeding a 42 lb dog about 1.5 cups a day, that bag lasts me a month or so. A can of Merrick is $2.50 and to feed that same dog canned only would be 1.5 cans per day. That is 45 cans and at $2.50 a piece, that is $112.50 per month! Seems like a no-brainer to feed dry then right? Well, some dogs are picky eaters and they will only eat canned. Dogs with dental issues, older dogs or dogs with health issues may need an all wet diet. Canned foods ensure dogs get the moisture they need and are tasty for the dog.

Semi-moist
There are nasty products out there that are full of preservatives and colors they go by names like "moist and meaty." The good semi-moist stuff out there are usually called food rolls. Natural balance makes one, as does Red Barn and a few other companies. The food rolls or logs, are often used by owners as treats or grated over dry food to tempt a finicky eater. Then there are some people that use it as a stand alone diet. It has the same benefits of the canned, but is more economical. A standard can of dog food is about 13 oz and one can buy a 4 pound food roll for $12 (16oz x 4 = 64oz) and (12/64=.18). A food roll is 18 cents an oz, whereas a can is about 19 cents an ounce. Okay, it is a cent more an ounce for canned. However, the food roll is not as high in moisture, so the dog would eat about 25% less.

Dehydrated
Quite spendy, dehydrated foods are only available in speciality pet stores and online. They are usually top notch quality, but most people only feed dehydrated during a camping trip or similar outing to lessen their travel weight.

Raw
Raw food causes quite a bit of controversy. There are so many categories within raw; commercial made, homemade, rotation diets, a BARF (bones and raw food) diet. I will say that I believe in the commercial made, and have fed it, but at $25 for 12 patties and it takes 1.5 patties per day to sustain Lucy, I cannot afford to feed raw on a consistent basis. I did attempt to do my own homemade raw, but it gets too complicated trying to make sure your dog is getting the correct vitamins and minerals.

Homemade
All I will say is that if you want to go this route, please purchase some books and talk to a holistic vet first.

After you have picked what type of food you want to feed your dog, you need to choose a bowl.

Bowls
There are so many dishes available for dogs; stainless steal, plastic, bamboo, ceramic. For those more adventurous, you can feed out of a toy such as a Kong, Busy Buddy, Chewber frisbee, Maze-a-ball etc. There are some trainers that recommend never feeding out of a bowl, however I am more realistic and who really has time to stuff a dog's toy every single meal? I know I don't.

Mmmm, me loves my kongy!

I recommend owners go with a stainless steal or ceramic for health reasons. Plastic tends to harbor bacteria, scents and young puppies generally chew the edges up and can cut their gums with the sharp plastic.

Measuring Food
As mentioned in my previous post about fat dogs, it is very important that you measure out your dog food to ensure you are not over-feeding your dog. I generally end up giving less than the prescribed amount on the bag for my dogs as that amount tends to be a little too much. I always start with that amount and watch my dog's weight for a week or so, then cut back as needed.

Free Feeding
Lately I have run into some people that can't be talked out of free feeding. They insist that their Lab moderates himself and needs food available at all times because he is so energetic. I am not a fan of free feeding. If dogs don't overeat, they can actually under eat because they know the food is available whenever they feel like eating. Free feeding makes potty training more difficult because the owner does not know when the dog will need to eliminate. Free feeding is also frowned upon by veterinarians because if a dog needs medical attention, the owner can't tell the vet how much he ate last and when. From a training standpoint, giving your dog her meal for "free" means a lost training opportunity to work on a sit/stay/release. Food is a resource dogs want (most dogs), and not using it to train with, just seems silly to me.

Toppers/mixers
Some picky dogs or some doting owners tend to add things to their dog's food in order to entice the dog to eat. They may add canned food, food roll, treats, carrots, yogurt, egg, meat, cottage cheese, etc. While all of those ingredients can be healthy for the dog, there are some dogs that come to expect these goodies and become part of the food terrorism organization! My Lucy could have dry food one day, wet the next, steak the following day mixed in, and still go back to her dry food. She loves food and will happily eat dry without toppers. If I only had her I would probably give her a topper for a special occasion or perhaps pumpkin or cottage cheese to aid in digestion. Lex, formerly part of the food terrorism organization, would snub anything less than what was offered the meal before. There is no switching from dry to canned to meat and back for him. I urge owners of dog's like Lex to shut them down and not comply with their demands for more tasty morsels! My mother has a dog like that and she recently ran out of canned food and her dog didn't eat for a day until she got more canned!

Location/Frequency
Where to feed your dog matters. Will you feed him in the kitchen? In his crate? Outside? Next to your other dog? Feeding outside may attract ants. Feeding next to another dog can spark fights. Savvy multiple dog owners feed their dogs separate in crates to avoid scuffles over food and to avoid having to referee meal time. A dog new to crate training can benefit from being fed in his crate in order to build a positive association with the crate. Lucy gets fed in our living room (our kitchen is micro sized), next to the toy box and Lex has a more secluded dining experience in his crate with the door ajar.

Experts agree that dogs should be fed two times a day or even three for certain breeds or young dogs. Multiple feedings a day greatly reduces the risk of bloat or GDV in dogs. http://positively.com/2011/04/23/what-you-dont-know-about-bloat-can-kill-your-dog/

Well I hope you enjoyed my excessively long post about dog food and feeding! I admit, I got carried away. If you have any insights, comments are always appreciated.